Brick wall panel and method of making same



Sept. 12, 1967v A D. ARCARI v 3,340,650

BRICK WALL PANEUAND METHOD OF MAKING SAME Filed Dec. l1, 1965 v2 sheets-sheet 1 /Zg/ 7l /f BY MCMMMMWM@ A. D. ARCARI Sept. 12,1967

BRICK WALL PANEL AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME Filed Dec. ll, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent O 3,340,660 .BRICK WALL PANEL AND METHOD F MAKING SAlVIE Anthony D. Arcari, East Hartford, Conn., assigner, by

mesne assignments, to The Brix Corporation, a corporation of Connecticut Filed Dec. 11, 1963, Ser. No. 329,761

Claims. (Cl. 52--388) The present invention relates to brick wall panels and more particularly to a panel for creating a brick veneer finish on a Wall surface or the like. It also deals with a method of making such a wall panel.

A general object of the present invention is to provide a brick wall panel and method of making the same, the panel including a number of bricks or brick-like members which are attached to the panel as a unit so as to minimize the handling required in constructing a wall of brick masonry appearance.

A more specific object of the present invention is to provide a brick wall panel in which the bricks or bricklike members are' firmly attached to the panel to prevent detachment from the panel of the inished masonry wall as a result of handling or severe environmental conditions.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a brick wall panel which permits the construction of a less expensive wall of brick masonry appearance than has heretofore been possible by the conventional brick-by-brick construction and which wall is also lighter than a conventional wall as a result of the panel type construction.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a brick wall panel which is simple and economical to manufacture and which is simple and easy to apply to an existing wall or other supporting structure.

The drawings show a preferred embodiment of the invention and such embodiment will be described, but it will be understood that various changes may be made from the construction disclosed, and that the drawings and description are not to be construed as defining or limiting the scope of the invention, the claims forming a part of this specification being relied upon for that purpose.

Of the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a Wall panel of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line 2 2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional View taken along the line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a perspective View of the panel of FIG. 1 in an intermediate stage of construction; and

FIG. 5 is an end view of the panel of FIG. l in an intermediate stage of construction.

Referring now to the drawings, a brick wall panel embodying the present invention is shown at and includes a plurality of bricks or brick-like members 12, 12 ixed relative to one another by a wire mesh backing 15. As described in more detail hereinafter, the various bricks or brick-like members are integrally cast into or around the wire mesh backing in a manner which structurally reinforces each individual brick, rmly attaches each brick to the backing, and at the same time maintains the rear surface of the brick in the same plane as those portions of the wire mesh disposed intermediate the bricks.

More specically and with particular reference to FIG. l, the brick wall panel 10 is seen to comprise five courses of bricks or brick-like members 12, 12 each one of which courses is staggered with respect to the next adadjacent upper and lower courses by a horizontal dis- ICC tance equal to approximately one half the length of an individual brick. Each of these courses includes four such bricks and as shown the top and bottom courses, 14 and 1 6 respectively, as well as the middle course 18, project laterally and to the left beyond the remaining two courses 20 and 22 respectively by an amount equal to the stagger distance already referred to. At the right lateral sidev of the panel, the said remaining courses 20 and 22 project laterally and to the right beyond the three first mentioned courses 14 and 16 and 18 by the same stagger distance. In addition to being so arranged in staggered courses, the courses are vertically spaced from each other and each brick in each course is horizontally spaced from the two adjacent bricks, the size of these spacings being generally equal to the size of the spacing between bricks in a conventional brick wall and and which spaces are commonly filled with grout or mortar. As so arranged, this brick wall panel is adapted to being brought together with other panels of identical construction to form a brick veneer wall having al1 the outward appearances of a conventional brick masonry wall. Grout or mortar may thereafter be used to fill the spaces between the bricks so that the finished wall gives no external indication of the actual construction. It will, of course, be understood that although FIG. l shows by way of example a particular arrangement of the bricks in the panel and a particular number of bricks making up the panel, the number and arrangement of the bricks on any one panel may be varied as desired without departing from the invention.

The wire mesh backing 15 included in the panel 10 may be any of a number of dilierent types of materials, such as expanded metal, hardware cloth or Wire screening, which is of an open mesh construction and which is supplied in generally flat sheets or which may be readily formed into such at sheets as by unrolling and cutting the material into a roll thereof. Additionally, the material should be such that selected portions thereof may be readily deformed or pressed out of the plane of the initially fiat sheet. The bricks or brick-like members 12, 12 may also be made from any of a number of different materials, the basic requirement of the material being that it be capable of being applied to the wire mesh backing in a plastic 0r owable state and thereafter curable into a hardened state. An example of a suitable material is an ordinary mixture of sand and Portland cement.

Reference is now made to FIGS. 2 and 3 for a more detailed discussion of the construction of the panel 10 and of the manner in which it is attached to a supporting structure. The brick wall panel 10 of FIG. l is shown by these figures as being attached to ian existing wall 24 by a plurality of nails or staples 26, 26 driven through the wire mesh backing 15 and into the wall 24 at locations along the edge of the panel and between adjacent bricks where the wire mesh backing is exposed. It will be seen that the construction of the panel is such that where the backing is exposed, it is disposed in a plane common to the rear surfaces or backs 30, 30 of the individual bricks. As so constructed, the spaces between the adjacent bricks will not be increased or decreased during the installation of these panels on said wall, but on the contrary the precise pattern in which the bricks are formed on the Wire mesh will be preserved, thereby assuring that the finished brick veneer wall retains the appearance of a conventional brick masonry wall. Furthermore, the wire mesh backing is not in any way stretched or deformed by the fasteners so as to weaken the backing material or to set up stresses tending to damage the bricks or to pull the fasteners from the wall.

Still with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, it is an essential feature `of the present invention that the said wire mesh backing 14 extends outwardly into the body of each of the bricks 12, 12 at the locations where the bricks are attached thereto.-As so constructed, the individual bricks are reinforced by the Wire mesh reducing the likelihood of chipping both by handling of the panel and as a result of severe environmental conditions or the like after erection of the brick veneer wall. Additionally, the material of the bricks completely surrounds the material of the backing and thereby provides a positive or locking bond between the two materials making it impossible for the bricks to be torn or loosened from the backing.

According to the present preferred practice, the reinforcing portions 32, 32 of the wire mesh backing extend into the bodies of the bricks 12, 12 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. From these figures it will be noted that each reinforcing portion is generally pillow-shaped having a length yapproximately equal to the length of the associated brick and a width approximately equal to the width of the associated brick. Each portion is located sufficiently forwardly of the rear surface of the brick as to be completely surrounded by and embedded in the brick material and preferably is located approximately at the midpoint of the thickness of the brick. Along each of its edge portions, each reinforcing portion slopes toward the associated rear edge of the brick and leaves the body of the brick at the plane of the lrear surface.

In producing a brick wall panel of the present invention, a generally rectangular and at sheet of wire mesh backing is iirst deformed by suitable means to produce a plurality of pillow-shaped portions extending in the same direction outwardly from the initial plane of the sheet and arranged generally in accordance with the desired arrangement of the bricks in the finished panel. This operation may be performed by hand forming tools, but preferably is accomplished, as shown in FIG. 4, by placing the initially at sheet of backing material into a press between a first die member 36 having a plurality of pillow-shaped male elements 37, 37 thereon and a second die member having a plurality of conforming female cavities 39, 39 therein and then closing the die members on the sheet to deform the same into the shape Iof the two die members. The male elements 37, 37 and female cavities 39, 39 are so shaped and arranged as to produce a desired pattern of raised reinforcing portions 32, 32 in the wire mesh backing 15.

The next steps, as best understood from FIG. 5, in producing a brick wall panel of the present invention include iirst placing the deformed wire mesh sheet on a flat board or table 40 and then placing a grid type mold 42 with open top and bottom on top of the wire mesh sheet so that the cavities of the grid receive the outwardly deformed reinforcing portions 32, 32. A plastic substance, such as concrete, capable of being cured into a hardened state, is then introduced into said cavities as by pouring or the like. After this material has set for some time, depending on the nature of the material, the grid mold may be removed and the board 40 with the uncured panel thereon placed to one side f-or curing of the material. Upon hardening, the originally plastic substance forms a pattern of brick-like elements, each of which is reinforced by a portion of the wire mesh backing. Further, in the spaces between adjacent bricks, which spaces are formed by the grid members of the mold 42, the wire mesh backing is disposed in a plane flush with the rear surfaces.

In further accordance with the present panel construction, the rectangular sheet of wire mesh backing is preferably notched as shown in FIG. l to permit two panels to be disposed side by side on a wall without undue overlapping of the backing of the two panels. This notching is, of course, not -required in applications where successive courses are aligned with one another, as in so called roman brickv patterns or the like, but is desirable where the successive courses are staggered. It will of course be :apparent that the notching may be performed at any stage in the production of a panel such Ias the one shown. To produce a savings in material, the notching may be accomplished when the wire mesh backing is cut from the roll or strip from which it is supplied.

Brick wall panels constructed and arranged as above described are well adapted to providing a brick veneer wall effect either on an unfinished studding structure or on a preexisting wall, the spaces between adjacent bricks and between adjacent panels being filled with a grout material in a conventional manner Iafter the panels are nailed or stapled in place. It should also be noted that although FIGS. 2 and 3 show a panel fastened directly to a supporting wall or other structure, this manner of application is not necessary or always desirable, and if desired a layer or layers or other material such as tarpaper, aluminum foil, or insulating sheet may be applied between the supporting wall and the brick Wall panel.

It is also to be understood that as used herein and in the claims which follow, the term wire mesh backing or wire mesh sheet refers broadly to expanded metal, hardware cloth or any other perforated material suitable for holding and supporting the brick-like elements, and it is not intended that these terms be used t0 refer only to a material made of wire.

The invention claimed is:

1. The method of making a brick wall panel comprising the steps of providing a substantially flat sheet of wire mesh backing, forming a pluralityv of reinforcing portions in said wire mesh backing which reinforcing portions are separated from each other and extend forwardly from other portions which are disposed in a common plane, placing said sheet of wire mesh backing on a flat upwardly facing supporting surface so that said other portions thereof engage said surface and said reinforcing portions thereof are spaced from said surface, and casting a hardenable plastic substance onto said wire mesh backing at each of said reinforcing portions thereof in such a manner that each reinforcing portion is completely covered with and embedded in said plastic material and that said plastic material engages said supporting surface, separating the plastic material associated with each reinforcing portion from that associated with the other reinforcing portions along the areas dened by said other portions of said wire mesh backing to produce individual brick like elements, and thereafter causing said plastic material to harden.

2. The method of making a brick wall panel comprising the steps of providing a substantially at sheet of wire mesh backing, forming a plurality of reinforcing portions in said wire mesh backing which reinforcing portions are separated from each other by and extend forwardly from other portions which are disposed in a common plane and which generally form a grid pattern, placing the formed sheet of wire mesh backing on top of a at generally horizontal surface with said reinforcing portions extending upwardly from said surface and with said other portions in engagement with said surface, placing a mold over said sheet of wire mesh backing which mold is in the nature of a grid conforming to said other portions of said wire mesh backing and providing brick defining cavities for receiving said reinforcing portions and which cavities are open both at their tops and bottoms, said placement of said mold being such that said cavities register with said reinforcing portions of said wire mesh backing casting a hardenable plastic substance into the tops of said cavities so that said substance fills each cavity and surrounds the reinforcing portion therein, thereafter causing said plastic substance to harden to form a pattern of brick-like elements iixedly attached to said sheet of wire meshing backing, and removing said mold from said cast substance at some time after said casting operation.

3. Tlhe method defined in claim 2 further characterized by said step of forming said reinforcing portions in said sheet of wire mesh backing being carried out by placing said sheet between two dies one of which includes a plurality of pillow-shaped male elements and the other of which includes a correspondingly plurality of conforming cavities, and closing said dies on each other to cause said sheet to be pressed therebetween and to take on the shape of said dies.

4. A brick wall panel comprising a sheet of wire mesh backing and a plurality of brick-like elements arranged on said backing with each of said elements being -spaced from adjacent elements and having a generally Hat rear surface disposed in a plane generally common to the rear surfaces of all of said elements, said wire mesh backing in the area covered by each of `said elements having at least a portion thereof disposed forwardly from the rear surface of the element so as to be embedded in and entirely surrounded by the material of said element and said wire mesh backing in the area between said elements being disposed in a plane generally ush with said rear surfaces.

5. A brick wall panel as defined in claim 4 further characterized by said wire mesh backing in the area covered by each of said elements comprising a portion which is generally pillow-shaped in appearance, said pillowshaped portion having inclined edge portions which eX- tend forwardly into the body of the associated element and which edge portions pass from the body of the associated element along the rear edges of said element.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 553,306 1/1896 Fordyce 52-660 773,305 10/1904 Wadsworth 52--306 1,787,166 12/1930 Powers 52-660 1,853,824 4/1932 Krauss 52--384 1,994,644 3/ 1935 Harshberger 52-388 2,006,635 7/1935 Farr 52-391 FOREIGN PATENTS 515,300 11/1920 France.

17,134 8/ 1898 Great Britain.

FRANK L. ABBOTT, Primm'y Examiner.

I. L. RIDGILL, Assistant Examiner. 

4. A BRICK WALL PANEL COMPRISING A SHEET OF WIRE MESH BACKING AND A PLURALITY OF BRICK-LIKE ELEMENTS ARRANGED ON SAID BACKING WITH EACH OF SAID ELEMENTS BEING SPACED FROM ADJACENT ELEMENTS AND HAVING A GENERALLY FLAT REAR SURFACE DISPOSED IN A PLANE GENERALLY COMMON TO THE REAR SURFACES OF ALL OF SAID ELEMENTS, SAID WIRE MESH BACKING IN THE AREA COVERED BY EACH OF SAID ELEMENTS HAVING AT LEAST A PORTION THEREOF DISPOSED FORWARDLY FROM THE REAR SURFACE OF THE ELEMENT SO AS TO BE EMBEDDED IN AND ENTIRELY SURROUNDED BY THE MATERIAL OF SAID ELEMENT AND SAID WIRE MESH BACKING IN THE AREA BETWEEN SAID ELEMENTS BEING DISPOSED IN A PLANE GENERALLY FLUSH WITH SAID REAR SURFACES. 